How to apply for Australian work visa?

Having dreams to work in Australia? Yes, this is the right time to fulfill them. Y-Axis is here to assist and guide you in all the steps to find jobs in Australia.  But the very first step is you need to decide the right visa.  For this you can go through the following are the details of the different Australian work visas types, their requirements for eligibility, and the application process.

The basic requirements you must meet to work in Australia include a recognized certification proving your proficiency in the English language, such as the IELTS exam, applicable skills, and experience necessary for the occupation that you have chosen for nomination; your designated occupation needs to be in the Skilled Occupation List (SOL) of Australia, your skills have to be evaluated by a designated skill assessing authority in Australia, and necessary health and character requirements as per the Australian government.

Work visa options

There are different types of work visas. Three of these work visa options can gain you permanent residency, while two of them allow you to work and stay in the Land Down Under for a restricted time.

Permanent work visa options

Employer Nomination Scheme visa (Subclass 186): This visa is given to those who their employers nominate. Your occupation must be on the list of qualified, skilled occupations, and the job must apply to your skills to be eligible for this visa. With this visa, you can stay and work in Australia permanently.

Applicants for this visa must be aged below 45, have proficiency in English as required by Australian authorities, must have completed the skills assessment for the nominated occupation from the appropriate assessing authority, which is less than three years old, possess at least three years of work experience, should have a license or registration or be a member of a professional body if required in the state/territory where the applicant wants to work in and satisfies the qualified health and character prerequisites.

The Employee Nomination Scheme (Subclass 186) visa, a permanent residency (PR) visa, allows you the freedom to work and study in Australia, stay in the country as long as you wish, subscribe to the universal healthcare scheme of Australia, allows you to apply for citizenship of Australia, and sponsor close relatives under temporary or permanent visas.

Subclass 186 visa requirements

All the holders of Subclass 186 and their families must strictly follow all the Australian laws and be prepared to work for the employer who has nominated them for a minimum of two years. After getting the visa, they must be ready to work for their employers within six months of their arrival in the country if they obtained the visa outside Australia or from the visa issuance date if they are within the country.

Employers could also sponsor migrants on a 457, TSS, or a working holiday visa. It, too, can allow the employees to get permanent residency.

SkillSelect program: If an employer doesn’t want to take you on board, you can apply through the SkillSelect program. This program will make your information available to the employers and governments of the states and territories, who may then choose to nominate you. While sending an Expression of Interest (EOI) through the SkillSelect program, the particular government must know that know you are interested in working within this country in Oceania.

You can submit an EOI only if your occupation is on the list of Skilled Occupations. After receiving your EOI, the concerned authorities will rank you on a points-based system. You can qualify for the SkillSelect program only you get at least 65 points.

Skilled Independent visa (Subclass 189)

To begin with, submit an EOI and then apply under this category through SkillSelect and acquire the minimum number of eligible points. You need not be nominated by an employer for the Skilled Independent Visa (Subclass 189).

Eligibility requirements: you must have experience in a nominated occupation in the SOL category of Australia. Obtain a skill assessment report for that particular occupation’s designated authority.

Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190)  

To qualify for a Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190), you need to be nominated by a state/territory of Australia. With this visa, you are accorded the same privileges as that a holder of the Skilled Independent Visa (Subclass 189) is entitled to. The eligibility requirements are also similar to that of Subclass 189.

*Check your eligibility score for Australia through Y-Axis Australia Immigration Points Calculator.    

Temporary work visa options

TSS (Temporary Skill Shortage) visa: With this visa, migrants can be employed for a period ranging from two to four years, based on the employee’s requirements. Individuals would only qualify if they have a minimum work experience of two years and are aged below 45. Australian businesses can hire employees under this visa only if they can demonstrate a shortage of skills for it in the country. Companies that recruit employees under this visa must have to pay them on par with the market standards.

Working holiday visa: This visa is issued to people aged 18 to 30, enabling the employees to undertake while on holiday in Australia. As an employee, you will have to meet the compulsory health and character requirements and must not be accompanied by dependents. This visa is valid for twelve months.

With the working holiday visa, you can enter and reside in Australia for six months, leave and are allowed to enter the country multiple times, work for an employee for up to six months, and opt to study for four months during the duration of this visa.

Relocating to Australia without a job offer

The SkillSelect program helps individuals relocate to Australia without a job offer, allowing them to search for a job there. The program helps skilled workers prove that they have the necessary skills and qualifications required to work in Australia.

Under the SkillSelect program, the applicants are granted points based on the following conditions.

Age- scores are granted based on the age of the applicant. Those who are aged between 25 and 32 score the highest number of points, while those aged higher get fewer points.

English language proficiency: Applicants who score eight bands or more in the IELTS test will obtain 20 points.

Skilled employment: If your occupation is on the SOL, you will get points based on your previous work experience. The maximum a candidate under this category can get is 20 points.

Educational qualification- Points are granted based on an individual’s highest educational qualifications as per the requirements of Australia. If your qualification is related to your nominated occupation, you can score high. The maximum number of points that can be given under this is 20. Most people having a doctorate will get the maximum, while those with a bachelor’s or master’s would be granted 15 points.

Qualifications in Australia– You obtain five points if you have a qualification from an Australian educational institution. It could be a diploma course from an Australian college where you must have studied for a minimum of two years.

Regional study- You will get five additional points if you have lived and studied in one of the provinces of Australia where the population is low.

Community language proficiency: You will gain five more points if you have the skills to translate or interpret in one of the community languages of the country. National Accreditation Authority must acknowledge your aptitude in one of these languages for Australia’s Translators and Interpreters (NAATI).

Professional year program- You will get five more points if you have completed a Professional Year in Australia in the past five years. A Professional Year program will let you undertake a planned professional development program where formal training will be combined with proper job experience.

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Spouse/partner skills and qualifications- If you want to take your spouse/partner to Australia and have added their names in the application, their eligibility skills will also be considered in the total number of points you get. If your spouse or partner meets the essential requirements of Australia’s General Skilled Migration, like age, English language proficiency, and nominated occupation, you will gain five more points.

Skill assessment

Skill assessment is essential for the Australian work visa application process. Chose only an occupation listed in the country’s Occupational Demand List. This list will also mention professions for which there is a shortage of skills in Australia. There is a skill assessing authority for every profession. The ACS (Australian Computer Society) assesses occupations under IT and other technologies. Trade occupations are evaluated by the Trade Recognition Australia (TRA) or the Vocational Educational and Training Assessment Services (VETASSESS).

Applicants wanting to move to the next stage of their visa application procedures must score highly in the skill assessment.

To complete their skill assessment, applicants must satisfy the essential conditions laid down by the assessing authority gauging their occupation. If you satisfy all the requirements for an occupation, you then need to submit all the vital documents. Your documents must substantiate your qualifications and experience declarations. Moreover, you must submit every extra detail that an assessing authority requires.

Factors that the assessing authority will consider will include the profession in which you nominated yourself, your educational qualifications, work experience, how your work is related to your occupation, and the visa category under which you apply.

To show proof of your work experience, you must include payslips, previous employer referrals, most recent bank statements showing credits to your salary.

Cost and processing time 

The processing period varies as per each visa. The processing time is the time taken to verify the information and the additional information that the authorities need. The average processing time for a work visa ranges from 6 to 12 months. The processing cost depends on the visa you have applied for. Since the fee structure is updated regularly, check the fees before presenting your application.

If you want to migrate to Australia, get in touch with Y-Axis, the World’s No.1 Overseas Career Consultant. 

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